The invention relates to the manufacture of an article comprising a rigid support element having a “show” face of which only one portion is covered by a covering forming an insert and providing a supple feel.
Such an article is used in particular for the interior trim of a motor vehicle, especially as a dashboard or a door panel.
Processes permitting the manufacture of such articles are already known. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,612 proposes:                placing the covering and the support element in a foaming mould and, since the support element has a hollow region delimited by a peripheral rim, disposing a docking surface of the covering opposite the peripheral rim, then        introducing foam into the mould, between the support element and the covering, in order to connect the covering and the support element.        
However, the applicant has realised that that process is not suitable for all types of covering. In particular, when it is not possible to thermoform the covering without impairing its aesthetic characteristics or, more generally, when the covering is not produced from a material capable of preserving a given shape, for example, when it is constituted by natural fibres (wool, cotton, . . . ) or by leather, the covering, being too supple, cannot prevent the foam from escaping between itself and the support element.
Another known process consists in laying the edge of the covering against the support element and introducing foam between the support element and the covering. That process admittedly solves the problem of sealing for all types of covering material, but, since the edge of the covering is visible after foaming, it is then necessary to cover it with an embellisher.